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//valme.io/rss/frontpage/c/writing/en-usSun, 15 Sep 2019 04:57:25 -0500https://valme.io/c/writing/l9qqs/stephen-kings-everything-you-need-to-know-about-writing-successfully-in-ten-minutes
Written in 1988, his friendly advice and key points continue to be relevant:

Be talented

Be neat

Be self-critical

Remove every extraneous word

Never look at a reference book while doing a first draft

Know the markets

Write to entertain

Ask yourself frequently, “Am I having fun?”

How to evaluate criticism

Observe all rules for proper submission

An agent? Forget it. For now

If it’s bad, kill it

]]>Fri, 05 Jun 2015 13:12:09 -0500https://valme.io/c/writing/l9qqs/stephen-kings-everything-you-need-to-know-about-writing-successfully-in-ten-minutesdigdughttps://valme.io/c/writing/4vqqs/pixars-22-rules-to-phenomenal-storytelling
Pixar story artist Emma Coatstweeted a series of "story basics," guidelines learned from her more senior colleagues on how to create appealing stories (images by Imgur user DrClaww):

#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.

#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on - it’ll come back around to be useful later.

#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?

#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?

#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

]]>Thu, 27 Nov 2014 07:53:22 -0600https://valme.io/c/writing/4vqqs/pixars-22-rules-to-phenomenal-storytellingc_prompthttps://valme.io/c/writing/7dqqs/im-offering-free-editing-services-do-you-have-a-blog-but-arent-the-best-writer-want-to-enhance-your-dating-profile-need-a-review-of-your-turnpaper-before-submitting-to-your-professor-write-something-a
Title says it all. A sample of my writing: https://valme.io/all/user/c_prompt/only/editorials. Just post what you've written into your own /journal community (for example, this is my journal community) and send me a private message to request an edit. I'll provide suggested edits in the comments section. Copy/Paste. Attribution not required. ]]>Sat, 20 Sep 2014 12:19:24 -0500https://valme.io/c/writing/7dqqs/im-offering-free-editing-services-do-you-have-a-blog-but-arent-the-best-writer-want-to-enhance-your-dating-profile-need-a-review-of-your-turnpaper-before-submitting-to-your-professor-write-something-ac_prompthttps://valme.io/c/writing/92qqs/how-blogging-can-advance-your-career-a-personal-perspective
if you’re not sharing your ideas, code, solutions to problems, and the like via a blog or other social content tools then you’re doing yourself a disservice.

When I look back at how I went from less-than-zero to a successful company, many factors come into play, but one pivotal factor that stands out to me is my sharing of information via my blog. While I had no idea that it would allow me to create a whole consulting business around specific needs, it is a pretty good indicator that if you think something is important, and you solve a problem that others have not, then it is of value to someone else.

Your solutions don’t have to be technical; it can be as simple as new ways to organize your day, to as complex as theoretical physics though practical exercises. Regardless of the topic, blogging is an incredibly simple way to share your life experience with others.

I can't tell you the number of times I've spoken with people who have such amazing ideas... that they keep to themselves. I try to encourage them to write a blog. "I'm not a good writer." "I don't like to write." "I'm not a technical person." "I wouldn't know where to start." Excuses abound.

From now on, I'm going to give them the link to Sacha Chua's great presentation. There are too many great ideas in the world that aren't being shared. The world needs your ideas. Maybe Sacha can help.

Mario Puzo, who passed away in 1999, wrote a number of bestselling novels, including The Godfather, Fools Die, and The Last Don. What I especially liked about Puzo was his legendary tongue-in-cheek interviews. One of my favorite Puzo comments was when he warned aspiring scriptwriters that the only way to get a fair deal in Hollywood was to go into the studio with a mask and gun.

I’ve always been amazed by how many of Puzo’s rules apply not only to writing, but to life in general. In that vein, following are five of my most favorite Puzo rules that I believe you will find applicable to our own life.

]]>Tue, 17 May 2016 09:29:36 -0500https://valme.io/c/writing/53qqs/mario-and-mec_prompthttps://valme.io/c/writing/9hqqs/til-a-copyright-is-automatic-in-the-us-a-work-is-protected-once-its-fixed-adding-a-copyright-notice-is-just-a-clarification-of-the-license
Artists and writers are often surprised to learn that copyright is automatic – that is, nothing needs to be done to claim copyright protection. Although additional rights are provided if the work is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, legal protection is guaranteed once a work is created – which is the day it is “fixed in a tangible medium of expression. ]]>Mon, 10 Aug 2015 07:49:34 -0500https://valme.io/c/writing/9hqqs/til-a-copyright-is-automatic-in-the-us-a-work-is-protected-once-its-fixed-adding-a-copyright-notice-is-just-a-clarification-of-the-licensec_prompthttps://valme.io/c/writing/x9qqs/riddle-poems-can-you-guess-them
Here are some riddle poems my husband wrote...! I hope you enjoy them :) ]]>Sun, 03 May 2015 17:35:23 -0500https://valme.io/c/writing/x9qqs/riddle-poems-can-you-guess-themClarisse88https://valme.io/c/writing/4gqqs/750-words-write-every-day-learn-a-new-habit-and-about-yourself

★ What is this site about?

It's about learning a new habit: Writing. Every. Day.

I've long been inspired by an idea I first learned about in The Artist's Way called morning pages. Morning pages are three pages of writing done every day, typically encouraged to be in "long hand", typically done in the morning, that can be about anything and everything that comes into your head. It's about getting it all out of your head, and is not supposed to be edited or censored in any way. The idea is that if you can get in the habit of writing three pages a day, that it will help clear your mind and get the ideas flowing for the rest of the day. Unlike many of the other exercises in that book, I found that this one actually worked and was really really useful.

I've used the exercise as a great way to think out loud without having to worry about half-formed ideas, random tangents, private stuff, and all the other things in our heads that we often filter out before ever voicing them or writing about them. It's a daily brain dump. Over time, I've found that it's also very helpful as a tool to get thoughts going that have become stuck, or to help get to the bottom of a rotten mood.

Set to the tune of disgraced crooner Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” we present you with “Word Crimes,” a takedown of English language abusers everywhere! If you’ve ever been confused about the use cases of who versus whom or the difference between irony and coincidence, Al is here to provide you with a catchy little cheat sheet—and supply some well-deserved shaming in the process. Consider this a kind of addendum to “Conjunction Junction,” a Schoolhouse Rock! installment for the snark age. Our favorite moments from the video include, but are not limited to:

Dancing punctuation marks

Yankovic’s ability to fluidly rhyme “nomenclature” with anything

Use of Doge as an icon for word murdering

Putting people on blast who say “expresso” (people who, coincidentally, could* probably care less about this song)

Limiting use of numbers in words to Prince, because no one else has earned the privilege

Punishment for misuse of the word “literal” in a figurative situation being a crowbar to the head